


trying to keep it together

by heynineteen



Category: Mamamoo, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/M, OT4, OT4 Friendship, armymoo, bangtanmoo, btsmoo, taein - Freeform, wheetae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25663876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heynineteen/pseuds/heynineteen
Summary: prompt by mooarmytrash on wattpad // a oneshot in which taehyung lands a role in a romance series, wheein gets upset and denies it, but ends up unleashing her insecurities at him one night. taehyung is slightly cheesy and reassures her, and all ends up well. minor ot4 friendship because we love them <3
Relationships: Jung Wheein/Kim Taehyung | V
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	trying to keep it together

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to mooarmytrash for allowing me to work on her idea! I really love stories like these, and I think that the Wheetae couple would be perfect for this kind of story, so I decided to try my hand at making it. I hope I did your prompt justice, and I hope everyone enjoys this story!  
> Note: I don’t own Mamamoo or BTS.
> 
> Also, I know Kim So-jung isn't an actress, but she was also born in 1995 so I decided to use her as a sort of guinea pig in this story, haha.

“Wheein-ah! I got the part!” the text read.

Wheein shrieks and promptly drops her phone in shock. She picks her phone up and types back a response to him as she shoves another slice of pork in her mouth.

“I’m so happy for you!!” she types back. “You deserve the role. You’ve worked so hard for it!”

Wheein meant every word she said. She remembers months of practicing his lines with him over the phone, and the extra time he spent at the gym working on his body. The role he was vying for was that of a boxer, so he needed to build some muscles. Wheein had even half-heartedly complained on occasion how he spent more of his free time at the gym than meeting with her, but he always managed to shut her up. And to be fair, she _had_ thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of all his time at the gym – she grins at the memory of their most recent night together. That was one memorable night.

She presses send and types a follow up question. “So, who’s the lucky leading lady?” she teases, even adding an emoji with its tongue sticking out at the end of the message.

She receives his reply almost instantly.

“I’ll be starring alongside Sowon (Kim So-jung)”

Her blood runs cold, and she’s dimly aware of the shocked emoji Taehyung repeatedly sends, awestruck at the choice for his leading lady. Without thinking, she sends the same emoji back at him before placing her phone on the desk.

She exhales shakily. Taehyung’s admired Sowon for as long as Wheein can remember, and she could see why he was enamored with her. She was exceptionally pretty (she was always touted as one of Korea’s most beautiful faces), was a talented actress, and also happened to be the same age as both Taehyung and Wheein, which led to Taehyung admiring her more than he did other actresses. Back when they were younger, Tae had constantly gushed about her. He had grown up since then, but his deep admiration for the actress remained until today- which was why Wheein was feeling uncomfortable about the entire thing.

She knows that Taehyung’s acting career involves locking lips with leading ladies, and this series is no exception – after all, it was a series that revolved mainly around romance. This is the first time, however, that his leading lady would be someone she knew he deeply admired, and the fact that she was one of the most beautiful people in Korea further unsettled her.

The chime of her phone brings her out of her reverie, and she berates herself for feeling that way. Taehyung has just landed one of his biggest roles, and what kind of a girlfriend would she be if she didn’t support him because of some petty insecurities? Making up her mind to be a supportive girlfriend and to cast aside her feelings of insecurity, she checks her phone to see that Taehyung has texted her once again.

“We should have a celebratory dinner at my apartment. Just the two of us. My treat!” The message is then followed up by a string of heart-eye emojis and hearts – obviously excited at the prospect of a dinner date with his girlfriend.

Wheein smiles and types back a reply. She would be a supportive partner, and she’d meet up with Taehyung later and celebrate his achievement. She wouldn’t let her insecurities get in the way. Everything’s fine - she could do this.

/////

Wheein has been holding up pretty well. In fact, thoughts about Taehyung and the leading lady he so adored hasn’t crossed her mind the past weeks, despite Tae filming almost 24/7. Of course, keeping herself busy by means of music and art helped a lot. And Hyejin, Yongsun-unnie, and Moonbyul-unnie dropping by once in a while also helped immensely. But still, for someone like the chronic overthinker Wheein is, she’s pretty proud of herself of how well she’s been doing so far.

Taehyung has started filming over three weeks ago, which means that they haven’t seen each other since then. His days and nights were spent filming, and whatever little free time he had was used for resting. Despite this, however, he’s made sure to constantly update her on what’s happening on set. It’s not unusual for Wheein’s phone to beep several times throughout the day thanks to him, and she’s gotten used to the selfies Taehyung sends of himself on set. He takes pictures of himself doing everything – from rehearsing his lines to getting his makeup done to resting to eating – and it warms her heart to know that he’s thinking of her throughout the day.

He also sends her photos of his castmates. Sometimes it’s a posed group photo, though more often it’s a candid photo of a castmate who he’s been hanging around with. Sometimes Wheein sees that Sowon is in the photo, and she can proudly say that the green-eyed monster has yet to make its appearance since the start of Taehyung’s filming – not bad for someone like herself.

Of course, Wheein should’ve known that the peace she’d been striving towards wouldn’t be around for long. Taehyung has just sent her another group photo of his castmates, and the hairs at the back of her neck stand up as she looks at the picture.

For there, at the edge of the photo, is Kim So-jung, smiling as Taehyung’s arm is wrapped around her shoulder, tucking her closer to his side.

/////

She looks out the window to see the sky slowly lightening. She yawns, stretching out her arms, and rubs her eyes tiredly.

She’d taken a nap after seeing the photo Taehyung had sent, and what was supposed to be a mere half-an-hour nap turned into a full night’s rest. She glances at the clock by her bed – it’s around 5 in the morning - she’s slept for a good 10 hours. She reaches over for her phone to reply to missed messages. She types back a reply to Taehyung’s message about being sleepy, reminding him to rest and take a break – after this, she decides to scroll her Twitter feed.

She accidentally presses the search tab and her boyfriend’s name at the top of trending tweets catches her eye. She clicks on the hashtag, equal parts curious about what he’s done that have people up in a stir and amused at how loved and famous he is to land the top spot on the trending list.

There’s a bitter taste in her mouth as she discovers that he’s trending because of the very photo he sent her hours earlier. Apparently, one of the people in the photos uploaded it on Instagram, and fans had been quick to spot the arm around the actress and how cozy the two looked. Her eyes bulge upon seeing the several hate tweets the photo had warranted – fans claiming to boycott Taehyung after the photo and tweets that threatened the actress for stealing Taehyung away from them. She shudders – this is exactly why keeping their relationship private for now and waiting until his contract finished before going public was the best thing to do. She didn’t think she could deal with the amount of harassment and hate she’d receive if she ever went public about her relationship with Taehyung while they were both still in the idol industry.

But it wasn’t all just backlash. In fact, there were many fans who gushed at the idea of Taehyung and one of the most beautiful, well-known actresses being together. Tweets about how gorgeous Sowon was and how good she and Tae looked together appeared one after the other, and though Wheein knew that it was best she stop, she couldn’t help herself. Someone had even commented how fitting it would be if two of the most beautiful faces in Korea ended up dating, which caused her stomach to churn silently.

A notification at the top of her phone brings her out of her thoughts, and she checks her messages to see that Hyejin, Moonbyul-unnie and Yongsun-unnie have all checked up on her, asking how she was doing. She smiles in spite of herself – they’ve probably found out that Taehyung was trending and were worried about how she was dealing with it, considering how she had a tendency to let her thoughts and insecurities get the best of her, and decided to each check up on her. Being the people they were, however, she was certain they’d forgotten to decide at what time they’d each be checking up on her, and ended up texting her all at the same time.

She decides to reply to them all at once by messaging their group chat. She reassures them that she’s fine and that yes, she’d stay off her phone for the rest of the day and do other stuff instead to take her mind off of things. Although they all see through Wheein’s lies, they accept what she says and continue to fuss over her for a bit, saying that if she wants them to come over or have a group call all she needs to do is ask. They know Wheein well enough that during times like this, when her emotions are all over the place, it’s best to give her time and space to process her emotions on her own. And so they eventually stop fussing over her, but not before planning a sleepover at Wheein’s apartment the day after tomorrow – by then, she’d have sufficiently dealt with her emotions enough, and they could help keep her mind off of what transpired that early morning.

Despite Wheein’s earlier claims that she wouldn’t touch her phone the rest of the day, she continues to scroll through Twitter, looking at what everyone else has to say about Taehyung and Sowon. Each comment about how good they look together and what a cute & good-looking couple they make is a stab to her heart, and Wheein finds herself tearing up the more she reads. She knows it’s so stupid to care about what other people (whom she doesn’t even know) think, and she knows that Taehyung will love her regardless of what others think or say; but she can’t help but want to cry at the knowledge that these people she barely knows might not be entirely wrong – they do look good together, if Wheein was going to be honest with herself.

As if one bad decision that morning isn’t enough, Wheein decides to do some research on Sowon. She knows full well that she’s setting herself up for trouble, and a voice in her head tells her that trying to find out more about his leading lady would end up making her feel worse – after all, ignorance _is_ bliss. But Wheein has always had a slight rebellious streak, and over the years, being best friends with Ahn Hyejin has only further fanned the flame of rebellion Wheein harbored inside her. And so, ignoring that voice of reason at the back of her head, she proceeds to type her name in the search bar.

Less than half an hour later, Wheein wants to bang her head against the wall.

Not only was Kim So-jung extremely nice and talented and well-loved by people, she was also into the same things Taehyung was into. She scrolls through her Instagram feed – apparently, Sowon is quite the photographer, and she’s also collaborated with a clothing line and designed her own merchandise, which Wheein had to admit was equal parts elegant and eye-catching. What worse is that not only does she share Taehyung’s love for fashion and photography, she’s also into drawing and painting, and can sing pretty well – basically, all of the things that Wheein is into. She’s a taller, more talented, and much prettier version of Wheein, with the added advantage of loving exactly the same things Taehyung loves (Wheein appreciates photography and fashion, but doesn’t love it to the extent that Taehyung does) – and that realization leaves a lump in her throat that won’t go away.

She forces herself out of bed and heads straight to her studio, ignoring the kitchen calling out to her. It looks like she’ll be spending the rest of her day in the studio.

/////

They’re in the kitchen, munching on freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, when she feels the atmosphere shift. Yongsun and Moonbyul are seated on the counter, and Hyejin and her lean on the counter opposite to the older girls. She notices the three exchange glances, and she rolls her eyes at how obvious they’re being.

“Yah, spit it out already,” she says, glancing at each of them.

The three girls exchange glances once more, as if trying to gauge who the best person is to speak up. Wheein glances out the window to stare at the night sky when she feels Hyejin’s hand on her elbow. “Wheein-ah,” Hyejin says in a low voice. “How’ve you been holding up recently?”

Wheein looks into her best friend’s eyes, and she immediately understands what Hyejin’s trying to say. _How are you dealing with Tae and Sowon starring together,_ she means to say. _Have you seen what everyone’s saying about them?_

Wheein shrugs. “I wasn’t so good a day or two ago when, you know…” her voice trails off. Everyone in the room nods – they understood perfectly what she was alluding to. “I’m feeling a bit better now though,” she reassures them.

“Does Taehyung know about it?” Yongsun asks Wheein. The normally bubbly girl is uncommonly subdued as she speaks, and Wheein can detect the worry in her eyes as she stares at her.

Wheein shakes her head. “No, unnie, I didn’t tell him how I felt about it.” She sees Moonbyul about to speak up and tries to explain herself. “We’ve already talked about it before! When he was just starting out in his acting career, we talked about how he’d have to pretend to be in love with his costars if the role required it, and I agreed and told him I was okay with it.”

“But you’re not okay with it now.” Moonbyul states, more of an observation than a question.

“I’m not okay with it now,” Wheein confirms, drawing circles on the floor with her slipper. The other girls are silent, waiting for her to elaborate more on it. “I—I think it’s because this time, it’s Sowon who’s his leading lady,” she confesses. “Before, I was okay with it; but this time, he has to pretend to be in love with someone he’s admired for so long, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

Hyejin places a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and Wheein gives her a grateful smile. “I’m quite sure I wouldn’t feel this way if it were another lady.”

Hyejin searches Wheein’s gaze. She’s known Wheein for so long, and she can tell when Wheein isn’t telling the whole story. “Is that the only reason why you’re uncomfortable with it? Because Tae was infatuated with her before? Or is there something more to it.”

Bingo. Wheein grabs another cookie and takes a bite, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. “I guess it also doesn’t help that she’s extremely pretty and talented and nice.” She swallows before continuing. “And did you know she’s also into drawing and painting and singing? Just like me,” she stares at the half-eaten cookie in her hand. “And she’s also into the very same stuff Taehyung’s into. She’s a good photographer and she loves fashion – she even has her own fashion line.”

Moonbyul and Yongsun are by her side in a flash.

“Yah, our Wheeinie is also pretty and talented and nice!” Yongsun protests, grasping Wheein’s arm. Moonbyul moves from Yongsun’s side to face Wheein, lightly flicking her nose in a playful manner. “Why are you talking as if you aren’t all those things, too?” she challenges. Despite the sensitive topic, Wheein feels a smile form on her face at her unnies’ reaction – they knew that Wheein often struggled with feelings of insecurity, and they tried their best to constantly remind her of how amazing a person she is.

Hyejin nudges Wheein’s arm and lightly taps her forehead as the latter turns to face her. “And just because she’s into the same things you are doesn’t mean he’ll fall in love with her. Taehyung loves you for you,” she says. Years of being Wheein’s best friend have led her to be deeply attuned to Wheein’s feelings, and, consequently, to know just the right words to say to comfort her, even if Wheein doesn’t say outright what’s bothering her. “He loves you for the person you are, and he isn’t gonna go off because he’s met someone who likes the same stuff he does and is into the same hobbies you’re into.”

Wheein’s heart swells at their words of comfort and reassurance, and she gathers them all into a group hug, at a loss for words. Thankfully, the others know what she’s trying to say in that moment, and they return the hug, engulfing Wheein in the tightest group hug she’s ever experienced.

“If you’re really that bothered about it, it might be good to tell Taehyung how you feel,” she hears the eldest murmur, and Wheein nods her head in agreement. “Okay, I- I think I’ll talk to him about it soon.” She feels a hand ruffle her hair – probably Moonbyul-unnie, and hears the three cheer quietly.

Wheein’s the first to break away from the hug. Although her insecurities aren’t entirely gone, the girls have made her feel immensely better, and she breaks out into a smile – her first real smile of the night – before heading over to her room. “I think it’s time for a pillow fight!”

The other three rush to her bedroom in a flurry, all trying to be the first to call dibs on the biggest pillow in her room. A chuckle escapes Wheein at how they all stumble over each other in their hurry, and they end up sprawled on the floor outside her bedroom. Her chuckle at their predicament doesn’t last long, however, as Yongsun, who’s on top, promptly pulls Wheein down to the floor to join them.

It’s a while before they actually get around to that pillow fight.

/////

Wheein inhales. The scent of the kimchi-jjigae Taehyung is making wafts through the air, and a smile spreads across her face. Despite the jealousy and insecurity at the back of her mind the past week, she’s been doing much better than before thanks to Yongsun-unnie, Moonbyul-unnie, and Hyejin. And the fact that 1) she’ll be eating one of her comfort dishes soon and 2) her boyfriend decided to cook one of her favorite dishes despite his tiring week makes her feel a lot better.

She’s seated at the table. She swings her legs – the chair a bit too high for her to place her feet on the ground – and looks around the room when a thick folder on the table catches her eye. She reaches for the folder and sees that it’s Taehyung’s script for the series he’s filming.

“Tae?”

“Yes?” he answers, placing the knife down for a moment before walking over to where she’s seated.

“Can I look at your script?” she turns to face him with wide eyes and a slight pout on her lips, as if pleading for him to say yes.

He leans on the dinner table and pretends to think about it. Another glance at his adorable girlfriend breaks his charade, and he leans over to kiss her on her forehead. “Sure, as long as you’re quiet about whatever you read there.” He pulls away from her and walks back to the kitchen, amused at the dusting of pink on her cheeks after his actions. They’ve been together for around 2 years now, and he loves that he’s still able to make her blush easily. From the kitchen he can hear the rustling of papers - his girlfriend is already reading through his script. He checks on the pot at the stove and heads over to the refrigerator to bring out the tofu. “I’m almost done with dinner!” he calls out.

Wheein’s immersed in the script, skimming through the lines, when suddenly something catches her attention. Her blood runs cold. She glances at it again to be sure – yup, this was the character Taehyung was playing. She gnaws on her bottom lip, anxious – she knew that there would be a kissing scene or two, but she wasn’t aware that they would have a full-on makeout session. “I didn’t know you had a full makeout scene,” she calls out, trying her hardest to make it sound as neutral and light as possible.

From her vantage point, she sees him shrug nonchalantly and place the sliced tofu in the pot before lowering the heat. “They wanted it to be more daring than the usual series.”

Wheein’s heart pounds at the thought of her boyfriend and his leading lady sprawled out on the bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, hands roaming across the expanse of their bodies. At this point, everything’s faded away, and the only thing she can hear are the voices in her head telling her that Taehyung would thoroughly enjoy filming that scene, and that he would finally realize how much of a better match they they were, and that as always, Wheein would never be pretty enough or interesting enough for someone to hold on to her. People would leave her for someone better. Someone prettier. Someone smarter. Someone nicer. Someone funnier. Someone better. Too preoccupied with her thoughts, she fails to notice Taehyung approach, dinner in his hands.

Taehyung carefully places the pot down on the table. He’s about to head back to the kitchen for some rice when he notices Wheein staring blankly at the script. “Wheein-ah?” he calls out, but she’s gone silent. He walks to the other side to where she’s seated and places a hand on her back. “Hey—”

She recoils at his touch, and a lump forms in Taehyung’s throat. He’s hurt – she’s never reacted this way to him before. “Wheein, are you okay?” he crouches down beside her and is met with the sight of her glassy eyes, and Taehyung feels his heart break at the sight of her on the verge of tears. He rises from his crouched position before moving in to hug her.

She’s out of her chair in a flash. “Don’t touch me.”

Taehyung’s taken aback at how hostile she is. “Wheein-ah, what’s wro--”

His eyes follow her gaze. They land on the script she had been flipping through earlier, and suddenly, everything falls into place for Taehyung. “Wheein, Are you jealous?”

She shakes her head empathically, but Taehyung knows better.

“Are you jealous?” he tries again.

She’s turned her back to him and has gone silent, refusing to answer his question. Taehyung tries to shift tactics. “Yah, why are you jealous? You know there’s nothing for you to be jealous of—”

Wheein abruptly turns to face him, and Tae stumbles back at the fire in her eyes.

“Nothing for me to be jealous of?” she questions incredulously. “Tae, it’s Kim So-jung we’re talking about! The actress I’ve heard you gushing about ever since we became friends.”

Taehyung’s about to respond that he doesn’t like her _that_ way, but the tension in her voice and the anger and frustration he feels rolling off of her in waves shuts him up.

“You’ve liked her since forever and now, you’re going to make out with her,” Wheein runs a hand through her hair in frustration. She knows she should stop before she says anything she regrets, but the words continue to spill out. “And—and—she’s so talented and pretty and she’s so fucking nice and she’s also into the same things you are.” She looks at him, tears spilling over from her eyes, and his heart wrenches at the sight. “Did you know that, Tae? She’s also into photography and fashion – she’s collaborated with popular brands and made her own merchandise, and as much as I hate to admit it, it’s actually pretty good.”

Now that she’s started talking, Wheein finds that she’s unable to stop. Everything that she’d been quiet about the past few days, trying to channel instead into her art, is rushing out. “Yah, and you know what’s worse?” she continues without waiting for his answer. “She’s also into drawing, painting, and singing like I am. She’s basically a taller, more talented, and a much more beautiful version of me.” Wheein laughs bitterly, and it’s a stab to Taehyung’s heart hearing how hollow her laugh sounds.

She wipes at her eyes and gazes at the window, unable to meet his eyes. “Everyone was going crazy on Twitter, saying how you two looked so good together, and how fitting it would be if the most beautiful faces in Korea got together. And what sucks the most is that there’s some truth to what they’re saying, Tae.” She claps a hand over her mouth, stifling a sob. “You two would look good together. Both of you are exceptionally attractive and you both like the same things – and—” a sob escapes her at this point. “She’s so similar to me, if you got together it’d be like you having the best of both worlds – it would be like being with me, except it was someone taller, much more attractive, and someone whom you can share your interests with.”

“And you’re going to end up falling in love with her and realize that you can do so much better than me. The more time you spend filming as your characters, kissing each other and making out, you’ll realize what you’re missing out on by being with me.” She presses the back of her hands to her eyes in an attempt to compose herself. “And given the way I’m acting now, it would make sense if you choose to be with someone else. We’ve talked about this before, about how you might have to do kissing scenes and the like with your costars, and I agreed that time, but here I am now getting jealous and letting my insecurities get in the way. And this is all the more reason for you to seriously consider someone else—” she buries her face in her hands and cries, at this point too overcome by emotion to say anything more.

They stand there like that for a while, Wheein sobbing her heart out, and Taehyung gazing at her, at a loss for words. Eventually, Wheein glances up to see Taehyung’s look of shock, and shame floods throughout her body. She feels the heat rising in her cheeks, embarrassed at her outburst, and suddenly the thought of her apartment seems like the best way to spend the rest of the night. She hastily gathers her stuff and heads for the door, eager to get away from Taehyung.

/////

Her face is flushed and she’s breathing heavily, trying to stop her tears. Taehyung’s in shock at her outburst and the insecurities she’d unveiled in the midst of her rant. He knows that Wheein has a tendency to drown in her thoughts, but he never considered that her overthinking would extend to questioning her place in his life and his love for her. It’s unfathomable to him how someone so kind, so loving, so talented, so witty, so adorable, and so beautiful both inside and out would think of herself as easily replaceable, and in his shock, he barely registers her making her way past him.

“I- I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me— let’s have dinner some other time.”

At these words, Taehyung snaps out of his stupor, and he rushes over to Wheein, taking hold of her wrist before she can yank the door open. He pulls her into his arms, burying his face in her hair, and holds on to her tightly as she squirms.

“Let me go,” Wheein pounds her fists against his chest. The heat in her cheeks has yet to subside, and she’s embarrassed by her sudden outburst. She wants nothing more than to go home and sleep and pretend that this night didn’t happen. She expects him to let her go, to give her time to cool off before talking about what happened. Instead, he loosens his grip on her slightly to press his lips against her forehead, and Wheein’s shocked at his actions.

He continues to place kisses on her forehead, and Wheein glances up at him at him in confusion. “Tae?”

He places his finger against her lips. “Shh,” he whispers. “I have some things I want to say.”

Wheein looks away, tears forming behind her eyes. He’s probably going to express his disappointment at how petty she’s being right now. She feels his hand lightly caress her cheek before coming to rest underneath her chin. He moves his hand so that she’s facing him, and he tilts her chin up so that she’s gazing into his eyes. She quickly averts her gaze, and he gently chides her. “Look at me.”

She gazes into his eyes and sees the storm of emotion in them. She’s surprised to see that of the many emotions present in his gaze, disappointment isn’t among them.

Taehyung’s heart melts at the way Wheein’s looking at him in the moment. She looks so raw, so vulnerable in the moment, that Taehyung just wants to sweep her in his arms and never let her go, but he restrains himself – he could do that later – there’s something he has to take care of first.

He places his hands on her shoulders. “Wheein-ah, you’re wrong about some things.”

He bites his lip, and Wheein can see in his expression the struggle for him to organize his thoughts. “You’re right, I did used to like her before, and I still do admire her until now, but not in the romantic way that you think I do.” His gaze softens as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “And you’re wrong about me falling in love with her.”

A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as his eyes run over her. “How could I fall in love with her when I have you by my side?” She opens her mouth to retort, but Taehyung is far from done. “And you said earlier that she’s like a Jung Wheein, except a taller, prettier, and more talented version.” He grasps her hands in his and looks into her eyes, and a shiver runs down Wheein’s spine at the intensity of his gaze. “But that doesn’t matter to me,” he whispers. “Because it’s Jung Wheein I want – not someone taller, not someone ‘prettier’ or ‘more talented’” – he lets go momentarily to mimic quotation marks in the air – “it’s you that I want, Wheein-ah. Only you. No one else. So it doesn’t matter to me when you think that I can do better,” he leans down to press his lips against hers. “Because for me, I already have the very best.”

He leads her over to the dining table, and he takes a seat beside her. “And who cares what people say about Sowon and me?” He turns in his seat to face her. “What matters most is this,” he gestures to his heart. “And you know what it’s telling me? It’s telling me that you’re the person for me.”

A dusting of pink settles across Wheein’s cheeks at the sweet words of her boyfriend, and Taehyung inwardly coos at the adorable sight of his girlfriend blushing. He moves his chair closer and pulls her into an embrace, and this time, Wheein doesn’t refuse. She tentatively wraps her arms around him, and she can feel him pressing kisses against her head. “And I’ll never fall in love with Sowon,” Taehyung chuckles and pulls back, gazing into her eyes once more. “How can I, when every time I kiss her, it’s you I imagine?” He tucks her back into his embrace and rests his cheek against her head. “Every time we have to do a romantic scene together, it’s you whom I always picture, and that’s the reason why I’m able to act well in those scenes.” He rubs his nose against hers. “The looks of love I have during our scenes are there because during that time, it’s you I was thinking of.” He pulls back again to gaze warmly at her, and Wheein feels like her heart is about to explode from everything he’s said and the love in his eyes as he looks at her in the moment.

Not giving herself a chance to second-guess her actions, she tugs at Taehyung’s shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. Taehyung’s a bit surprised by her forwardness, but he responds quickly to her, wrapping his arms around her and tugging her into his lap. Her lips don’t separate from his as she readjusts to her new position, and Taehyung stifles a groan at the contact. His hands roam across her back before settling at her waist, and she cups his face in her hands. Soon, however, they’re both out of breath, and they break apart to resurface for air. Taehyung’s gaze softens as he drinks in the sight of her mussed up hair and slightly swollen lips, and his heart pounds at the look of pure love she sends him.

“Wheein-ah?”

“Hmm?” she hums, tilting her head to the side.

“I love you.”

His heart melts at the smile that spreads across her face at his words. She leans in to press a kiss on his forehead before replying. “I love you too.”

He’s about to pull her in for another kiss when a growl interrupts his thoughts. Wheein buries her head in his neck, ashamed at the interruption, and she feels Taehyung’s chest rumbling in laughter. “Yah-“ she mutters, embarrassed. Taehyung pulls away, a smirk on his face. “Come on, let’s eat – I’m pretty hungry myself.”

///

Wheein’s just finished the rough sketch when her phone beeps from the other side of the room. She stands up, dusting off the eraser shavings that have fallen into her lap, and heads over to see who’s messaged, though she has a pretty good idea of who it is – there’s only one person, after all, who’s been constantly messaging her throughout the day.

She opens her messages to see a group photo of the cast Taehyung sends. There’s only a few of them in the picture – mostly fellow actors around the same age as Tae – and she spots her boyfriend next to Sowon, his elbow resting loosely on her shoulder. She gives an exasperated sigh – Taehyung’s confessed to Wheein that ever since that night, he’s made a promise to himself to keep the skinship with female costars to a minimum, and despite Wheein’s adamant protests that there was no need for it, Taehyung continued to abide by his self-imposed rule. Wheein constantly reassured him that she was okay and that what he was doing was so unnecessary, but Taehyung claimed that it was also to protect his image and avoid gossip. Wheein had scoffed at his answer – he was so bad at lying for someone supposedly good in acting, and in the past, he’d never cared too much about avoiding gossip and “protecting his image” – but she had eventually let it slide; it was near impossible to argue with Taehyung sometimes.

As she stares at the photo, she feels a rush of pride at the absence of the green-eyed monster that previously accompanied pictures where Taehyung and Kim So-jung were together. Although there’s always that slight pang at seeing just how beautiful and talented Kim So-jung is, and despite how easy it is for her to overthink, there’s now a peace in her heart that comes from knowing just how much Tae loves her and the lengths he’s willing to go to for her. And it is this knowledge she holds on to whenever she feels her thoughts act up on bad days.

She types up a quick response, teasing him on his silly facial expression in the photo, before heading back to her workspace.

She’s doing pretty well, and she couldn’t be any prouder of herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this is the longest fic I’ve written so far! It’s ~6k words, and it took me almost a week to make this? Pretty proud of it, considering how I usually write drabbles because I like finishing stuff right away. I’ve also been thinking of writing a multi-chaptered Wheetae story, but idk let’s see hahahah. Thank you for reading this story!


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